The big picture in the south. The Kharkov bag looks dangerous for the Germans but isn't really. The important question is where to put the Soviet front line in relation to Kharkov. The bag is fairly well secured, so there's no question of pulling everything east of the city.

Kursk Kharkov. It's clear to me now that the drive to recapture Kharkov hasn't succeeded because it is necessary to take Kursk first. We are at the gates of that city now, but it looks to be too late ....

In the south the Germans begin their withdrawal and Nikolaev falls to the Crimea Front. That was the main aim of the blizzard offensive in this sector, but mobile forces are now racing for Yushnoe, and if they take it will pin the best German infantry in AGS against the Black Sea coast.

There are two more blizzard turns left, so we will begin to reorganise our armies and pull back from the western Ukraine with a view to holding the Nikolaev Kirovgrad line. Leningrad looks to be out of reach, so our immediate objectives are to take Kursk and Tula and spring the surprise we have long been preparing for the Finnish armies. In terms of the defence, we will be asking the Germans to prove that they have the forces to launch a March snow offensive, rather than ceding hundreds of miles without a fight.

Were I the German player, I would be tempted to mass every available mobile division in the Kharkov bulge and then drive south for the Dnepr bend or the coast of the sea of Azov (this presumes, of course, that the bulge will stay a bulge and not become a pocket). To judge from the maps and his losses, it seems unlikely - if at all possible - that he would attempt to form a coherent front between Odessa and Sumy, which means that surest way for him to get back in the game would be to try to establish a front running from Kharkov to the sea of Azov, with the added bonus of mauling everything west of this line in the process. Strong defensive lines and reserves on an east-west axis south of Kharkov might therefore be a fair investment.

I don't think the German's can get mobile divisions into the bulge. A more likely opening move would be to try to trap the Soviet forces against the side of the bulge - probably the north side, for logistical reason. If that works then conditions might be right for a drive south. I don't think it'll be possible to pull off the pocket and the drive to the Sea of Azov before the mud, however. For one thing I'll be reinforcing that axis, for another the German superiority isn't so overwhelming, and for a third I should have time to evacuate the south or trace supply through the Crimea.

would second your evaluation about the Kursk - Kharkov strongpoints. btw, while you established yourself as a gentleman by not (mis)using your paras, I think wars are won by harming your opponent in the most ugliest way possible... nevertheless, a very interesting aar - a 200 mile wide gap in the south is quite fascinating to watch.

The great blizzard offensive is coming to a halt. The last push on Leningrad comes to a ignominious end, as most of the defending 217 Infantry Division do not bother halting their game of pinochle to halt my attack.

Fighting on the Moscow front has come to a halt, but fighting on the Tula front has led to a triumph. Six brigades of tanks have cut off three divisions, and route three more. This will set the fascists reeling back to Berlin in no time ....

Wagons East! Guards, lead the way! Oh, and any other precious unit with value follow them up. The rest of you, continue the offensive, this should bring a glorious conclusion to this war in no time!

Just watching this game makes me think of how savage and brutal this war truly was. I like how winter comes to a conclusion without straight lines in place and everyone marching around like nothing has happened.

Heh heh, like it comrade, but no, I fear we'll be digging in and trying to guess where the 10 missing mech divisions are going to show up. Once the German show their hand, I may (or may not) have more offensive options, but my main priority is expanding the Red Army in time for the summer, which suggests a boring force conservation posture, as they say.

One last victory: after the usual reconnaissance in force by brigade sized units, Tula is stormed.

To the east we can see another army in the strategic reserve, the first combined arms army I've created myself, temporarily placed under the command of the Southern Urals MD, just in case that helps in any way. In the south a Moscow Defence Zone army, temporarily lent to SW Front for the attack on Kursk/Kharkov heads back to the Capital, where it now falls under the commend of Bagramyan, the battling Armenian.

In the south, Crimea, Trancaucus and Southern Fronts begin to pull back from their exposed positions, the curses of abandoned villagers ringing in their ears. The Transcaucus army, which is the 44th under the demoted Popov, will be another Stavka reserve army, well to the south east of Kharkov. I'm not sure how seriously I take the threat of a drive to the Azov, as mentioned by some of my commentators.

The difficulty with that move, for the Germans, is that I now control Kursk,* and the north side of the Kharkov salient forms a kind of support pillar. I'm not sure he has enough room for the attack. Other possibilities are an uppercut against the long, exposed and relatively weak NW front, although my own offensive against the now isolated Finnish army might dissuade the Germans from that option. The Germans have retained their position around Vyshny Volochek and Moscow, so a resumption of the drive on the Capital is not out of the question, and two armies are being sent there as deep reserve. An attack in the south is unlikely before the summer, as the Soviet controlled territory will slow up German forces and the armies of the south have very good morale after kicking seven shades of sh*t out of the Romanians - the average is greater than 50. That just leaves the line between Kursk and Tula; I have no reason to expect and attack here. I'm looking forward to getting the next turn.

* I forgot to mention this in my situation report! The Germans pulled out. 00000436.gif]

Turn 38 The German's strike back. I wasn't sure how much of a push Bomazz was going to give his strategic counter attack - quite a lot, going by his previous playing style. As it turn out there are only to relatively modest advance, and neither were where I was expecting them. The first was at the hinge of the NW front.